I have always held a deep love for books. In my grown-up life I want to keep, and share, this love, along with other bits of life that make me happy.

Despite living in Edinburgh since 2014 this is the first time I’ve ever actually been to the fringe! Over the next few weeks I’m going to throw up some short blog posts about what I’m going to. Naturally when the book festival starts there will be a lot about that too. Finally, I’m going to Summer in the City this weekend, there are a couple of bookish panels I’m going to try and get to! So look for a post about that coming up next week.

So, last night I went to my very first Fringe show ever. Urzila Carlson is a fab comedian that I know well, because she’s been on my TV back home in New Zealand heaps. She is a fat queer woman, so obviously I resonate with her a lot. I’m always here for my women in comedy, and I know she makes me laugh.

I was sat directly in the middle of the front row, practically feeling her breath on me. Luckily she quickly dispelled my fears of being picked on, otherwise my anxiety would have had me out of there like a rocket. She was absolutely marvelous. Lovely, and funny, and so real. She absolutely nails the whole ‘I’m saying things that have definitely happened to almost anyone but making it so much more clever and funny’ vibe that stand-up comedy has. I also seriously appreciated some of the more serious chat she wove into her hour on stage. She started a conversation that absolutely needs to be had, without derailing the show at all. I thought it was cool to hear a badass female comedian talk about some life stuff that isn’t so easy to tun into a joke.